THE CODRINGTON SCHOOL (International Programme) St John BB 20008

							                                 THE CODRINGTON SCHOOL
                                  (International Programme)
                                            St John
                                           BB 20008
                                           Barbados



                                         Dennison J MacKinnon
                                                 Principal
                                          Tel: + 1 246 423 2570
                                          Fax: + 1 246 423 3635
                                 Web site: http://www.codrington.edu.bb
                                  E-mail: principal@codrington.edu.bb

                                               TCS Focus

                                        Friday 8 January 2010

                                               Volume 4 - # 14

            To all parents/guardians of students in PYP one through MYP five.

                                     Thirteen pages all together
In this edition of the TCS Focus:

Page 1             First week of school; enrichment activities; school fees
Page 2             A personal note; calendar notes
Page 3             From the director of admissions
Pages 4 - 6        Secondary corner; primary corner
Page 7             PFA news
Pages 8 - 13       Various notices

Dear parents/guardians

    The first week of school has gone very well indeed and both existing and new students
    seem to have settled very well into the first week of school.

    Please remember that the enrichment activities schedule recommences on Monday 11
    January. The lists of activities were sent to you by the heads of school earlier this week and
    our wonderful parent volunteer, Patricia Boisard, is again busy organizing schedules for
    each child. Our thanks are again extended to her.
    School fees. As you are aware, independent schools depend on strong cash flow from
    fees income in order to function effectively. Certainly, the particular business in which we
    engage is that of a school; but if this business is a school, this school is also a business.


                       The Codrington School is an IB World School and a member of
                  The Council of International Schools and the European Council of International Schools
   For those parents/guardians who have not paid annually in advance, please note that fees
   statements for the third term of the current academic year are currently being mailed to you
   land you should kindly ensure that fees for the third term are paid no later than Monday
   15 February – preferably earlier. Whilst thanking those parents who have already paid, I
   would ask that all parents/guardians kindly meet this obligation on a timely basis in order to
   avoid late fees being levied. It is very important for the school to get fees income in on a
   timely basis and I trust that we may count on your cooperation in this matter.

   If for some reason you have not received your invoice, please contact our business
   manager, Ms Elizabeth Cave-Ferdinand, at business@codrington.edu.bb.

Please do not feel that you have to wait until 15 February before you pay the fees: early
payment is always welcomed!

   On a personal note, as many of you know, my sister, Heather, who was diagnosed with
   terminal cancer in November, died on Wednesday evening. The funeral cannot be held until
   a fortnight today, 22 January, so Christina and I shall be going to the UK at that time for
   about a week. We appreciate very much indeed the kind messages of support that we
   have received and the lovely bunch of flowers from the Codrington community. Thank you.

    Calendar notes

    Monday 11 January 2010        Enrichment activities recommence
    Monday 18 January             Swimming lessons recommence
    Thursday 21 January 2010      Public holiday – Errol Barrow Day
    Saturday 30 January 2010      Codrington PFA beach party
    Thursday 11 February          4.00 pm: school closes for children for half-term break
    Friday 12 February            Teachers’ work day: no school for children
    Monday 15 February – Winter half term break
    Friday 19 February
    Monday 22 February   Second half of Easter term begins
    Friday 19 March               PYP sports day
    Tuesday     23   March, MYP production
    Wednesday 24 March
    Friday 26 March         School closes for Easter vacation

   I have been asked about a date for the annual Codrington Open Day. This date will be
   determined just as soon as we receive official notification of our authorization as an IB DP
   school.

I should like to wish all of you a very happy and peaceful new year. Thank you for entrusting
your children with us. We look forward to its being a great year here at the school.

                                           Sincerely

                                 Dennison J MacKinnon



                                               2
      FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS

The swimming programme will not commence until Monday 18 January as
the Aquatic Centre is being used by swimming teams from North America.



                           We were pleased to welcome five new students this week:
                           Rosie Crawford, PYP 1; Manuel Fijman – PYP 1;
                           Hugo Crawford – PYP 4; Toby Crawford – PYP 6; and
                           Brianne Miachika – MYP 5.
                           We also welcomed back Edward Larcombe in MYP3.



The lost and found has cell phones, spectacles, watches and data keys waiting
for collection.



                               We had no major problems with the buses this week. As from
                               Monday we will commence the enrichment activities. This
                               means that the buses will be leaving school at 3.00pm and
                               4.00pm for the Aquatic Centre and Holetown.

                                 I would appreciate your letting me know me if there is any
                                 change to your child’s schedule as quickly as possible so that I
                                 can inform the transport company. It also saves us from looking
                                 for a child who has already gone home with the parents,
resulting in a delay to the departure of the bus.

I trust you all had an enjoyable time at Christmas with your family and wish all of you a peaceful
2010.

                                  Christina MacKinnon
                                    Director of Admissions




                                                3
Secondary Corner
(Ms Eliana has been on medical leave this week but hopes to be back in action again on Monday. She
sent us this quick note from Peru.)

We are asking for parent volunteers to support us in ―manning‖ an independent study period in
the library on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 3.00 pm to 4.00 pm. The
fact is, sadly, that, if there are no volunteers, then there is no independent study on that day and
students have to be at an activity or leave at 3.00 pm. There is no ―holding place‖ for them.
Many thanks for your consideration in this. If you are able to help, please e-mail me at
eliana.marcenaro@codrington.edu.bb


Warm regards,

Eliana Marcenaro

Head of Secondary School




                              Primary Corner




Dear parents and guardians,

Happy New Year to you all! It is hard to believe that we are now in the year 2010.We started our
new term back at school on Tuesday with a whole school assembly and welcomed four new
students into the primary school. We wish these students all the best and look forward to
seeing them around the school.

All primary classes are now beginning their next unit of inquiry. Our homeroom teachers will be
sending out their new unit letters to you shortly. I am including the central ideas and lines of
inquiry for the new units for the whole primary school for you:



                                                 4
Class        Central idea                       Lines of inquiry
PYP1&2      Our school is a community of        School buildings and grounds (Intro to
            people who work together.           maps & road symbols)
                                                Who works in school and jobs they do
                                                Feelings and ideas about school
                                                Ways to represent how the school works
                                                How school is connected to things and
                                                people       outside
PYP3         Habitats are homes for many        What is a habitat
             living things.                     How our changing world affects habitats
                                                The connection between habitat and living
                                                things
                                                The differences between habitats
                                                Our responsibility for protecting various
                                                habitats
PYP4        Climate and weather affect          Difference between climate and weather
            aspects of life on earth.           Natural phenomena associated with
                                                weather
                                                The effects of weather at local and global
                                                levels
PYP5         Past civilizations have            The Aztec civilization in comparison to
             contributed to the way we live     another (Ancient Egyptian)
             today.                             How civilizations have built on previous
                                                understanding
                                                Ancient customs still practiced in the 21st
                                                Century
PYP6         Investigating outer space          Our home planet is unique
             contributes to an                  Our solar system
             understanding of our home          Celestial objects
             planet.                            The Big Bang theory and the evolution of
                                                the universe

PYP7         Writing is a communication         The history of writing
             tool that has evolved in           The (creative) writing process
             different cultures.                Elements of good writing
PYP8        Humans can express                  Protests/marches/ strikes around the world
            themselves and transform            Civil disobedience and peaceful
            their living conditions.            demonstrations
                                                Human rights organizations and violations
                                                Wars/revolutions

If any of have you have contacts or resources that may be useful for these units, please do send
them into school. We appreciate your cooperation with us.




                                               5
Here follows a message about our PYP READING PROGRAMME from one of our parents,
Briony Jenkins:

The PYP Reading Programme is now into its 5th semester and investigating ways in
which we can build upon the foundations that have already been set. The objective of
the programme is to improve confidence, competence and enjoyment in reading for all
students. Homeroom teachers form the basis of learning; however research is clear –
parental support makes a difference and is an important factor as children continue
to develop their skills.

Reading at home with your children – even the ‘big ones’ in PYP 7 & 8 – has positive
outcomes. Dads in particular are encouraged to read with children, particularly boys,
who often associate reading as a bit ‘girly’!

Parent volunteers who come into school to help with reading are invaluable – and
always very popular! We have a strong core of regulars but would really appreciate a
few more to fill some gaps. Take a look at the following days/times and please contact
me directly on 248 2739 or at briony.jenkins@gmail.com if you think you could support
the programme by becoming a volunteer. You don’t need to have a child in the class
either – all mums/dads/rellies are very welcome:

Homeroom                Day                        Time
PYP5                    Monday                     10-11.30am
                        Tuesday                    8.50 – 10am
                        Wednesday                  Anytime
PYP6                    Monday                     12.15 – 3pm
                        Tuesday                    12.15-3pm
                        Friday                     12.15-3pm
PYP8                    Tuesday                    9am – 12.55pm
                        Thursday                   8.20am – 1.35pm

Please note: You don’t need to be available for the full time slot – these are simply to
provide guidelines for convenient times when students are available to read with
volunteers – even if you can only spare one hour – WE NEED YOU!

Thanks,
Briony Jenkins

Next week I shall be visiting Society Primary School once more to organise the schedule for our
PE exchange programme and our reading buddy system which we shall be following this term.
More details will follow of these arrangements in the next Primary Corner.

Kind regards

Helen Morris
head of primary

                                               6
PFA News

Back to school again, and a very warm Parents and Friends Association (PFA) welcome to all
the new families joining us in 2010.

On Thursday this week, our first PFA meeting of the term was well attended and we covered a
lot of ground. One hot topic was the hot school lunch programme…or more accurately the lack
of it. We’re talking to several companies capable of producing healthy meals, and we’re hoping
to reinstate this highly appreciated food service as soon as we can, and possibly expand it from
three to five days a week. We will continue to offer Pizza Days as scheduled (the next Pizza
Day is on 28th January).

Another hot topic was volunteerism. Both the recycling centre and the library need a few more
volunteers. Even if you just have twenty minutes to spare, this time can be put to very good
use, and you’ll meet other parents and friends in the process. So please don’t be shy – give me
a call on 231 3221 to volunteer.

On a sad note, the PFA meeting extended sympathies to Mr Dennis and Ms Christina on their
very recent family bereavement.

The meeting also highlighted and thanked all the many people who, last term, put so much
personal effort into fund raising…and fun raising! Impossible to name everyone but the list, of
course, includes Kim Anderson, Diane Bell, Patricia Boisard, Rain and John Chandler, Annabel
Morris, Jennifer Sharpe, Jane Yacomine, and all the good folk serving on the various PFA
committees.

OK, grab your new diary and put a line through the afternoon of 30th January 2010 for the first-
ever Codrington PFA Beach Party. Everyone is welcome, so parents and friends please bring:
your kids, friends, extended family, beach gear, picnic, drinks, sun hats, etc, etc. It’s going to be
fun.

Have a great weekend,

Kay




                                                 7
From Mark Byfield – the Codrington soccer coach

Wednesday 2nd December
Away to St Winifred’s, Pine Hill, St Michaell
Score St Winifred’s 1 – Codrington 2

Codrington team:
Jonathan Stark, Jonathan Molen, Ludwig Molen, Oliver Milsom, Craig Stark, Freddie Mulligan,
Owen McCleery, Matthew Anderson, Ryan Adams: Subs Marco Diaz, Charlie Capaldi

Scorers
St Winifred’s: Saul (min 18)
Codrington: Freddie Mulligan (min 15, min 50)

Codrington School FC earned a hard fought victory to christen their new strip.

Big thanks to Mrs Cathy Stark for supplying the new football kit for Codrington School FC. She
was not let down as two goals from Codrington’s captain Freddie Mulligan earned a 2 -1 victory
over a determined St Winifred’s team.

With the absence of Joseph Ince, coach Mark Byfield deployed Freddie up front. This decision
was rewarded with a goal in the 15th minute and a late one in the 50th.

A fast and scrappy first part of the game saw both teams trying to gain the upper hand. Owen
McCleery played in the centre of midfield and was supported by debutant Ryan Adams doing
some good work to stifle early pressure. A quick transition from defence to attack led to the
opening goal. Ludwig Molen won a header which went to his brother, Jonathan, who played the
ball up the line to Matthew Anderson who then set Freddie free to smash the ball past the St
Winifred’s keeper. With St Winifred’s coming more into the game, Marco Diaz was brought on
for Ryan Adams. Marco did extremely well to stem the tide of attack but was helpless to stop the
equaliser—some clever exchanges on the St Winifred’s right wing led to a great ball being
whipped in, catching the Codrington defence flat footed, which allowed the opposition centre
forward, Saul, to tap in at the far post on the 18th minute. End to end action was the order for the
middle part of the game with coach Byfield making some changes to strategy and personnel:
Owen going wide left and Craig Stark coming into the centre, with Charlie coming on for
Jonathan Molen. Orders were given to play ―three touches‖ (like in training.) With these
instructions Codrington was able to take advantage of a tiring St Winifred’s collective, and in the
50th minute they got their just rewards. Craig Stark won the ball and played a quick 1-2 with
Owen, then releasing the ball to Freddie, who showed good pace to outrun the retreating St
Winifred’s defence and slot the ball past the oncoming keeper. And there it ended, except for
some desperate attacking by St Winifred’s coped with easily by the defence marshalled by the
colossus Lud and the smaller Oliver. Codrington won 2-1.

Mark Byfield (Codrington Manager)
It was great to get our first win and christen our new kit. And even better to see that we had the
strength to hang on and not concede a late goal like last time.

Mr Smith (St Winifred’s Manager)
A bit unfortunate to lose but thoroughly enjoyed an entertaining game.


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Community corner




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